Shadows of the Past

Shadows of Past  

I stared at my telecel smartphone , Alex’s call evident again at me like a ghost from the existence I changed into seeking to go away behind. My hands hovered over the screen, torn among starting the message and tossing my telecel smartphone throughout the room.  

Finally, I study it.  

Alex: “Anita, I recognise I messed up. Please, simply provide me with a danger to explain. Call me.”  

Explain? What should he probably say to undo 4 years of forgetting about and damaging promises? My chest tightened, anger surging through me like a wildfire.  

I locked my telecel smartphone and threw it onto the couch. I wasn’t prepared to address Alex— now no longer this night , now no longer ever.  

Instead, I grew to become interested in the small, moderately supplied condo I now referred to as home. The faint hum of the heater crammed the silence, and the best mild got here from the flickering candle at the espresso table. It changed into a much cry from the penthouse I had simply left behind, however it changed into mine.  

I dropped my bag onto the counter and pulled out Ethan’s card. Running my hands over the raised letters, I felt an atypical experience of comfort. I hadn’t seen him in over a decade, but his reappearance this night felt like a lifeline—a reminder of who I was once earlier than my global self has become described through Alex Grayson.  

I grabbed my telecel smartphone , hesitating for best a second earlier than dialing the variety at the card.  

“Hello?” Ethan’s voice got here , it was warm and familiar.  

“It’s me,” I stated , my voice slightly above a whisper. “Anita.”  

A pause, then: “Hey. I wasn’t certain you’d call.”  

“Neither changed into I.”  

He chuckled softly, and for the first time all night, I felt my shoulders relax.  

“Everything okay?” he asked, challenging his words.  

I sank onto the couch, curling my legs under me. “Not really.”  

“Do you need to speak about it?”  

I hesitated. Where could I even begin? But something about Ethan’s voice—steady, reassuring—made me need to spill everything.  

“I left Alex,” I eventually started .  

The line went silent for a second , and I should nearly pay attention to him processing my words. “Good,” he stated at last. “I mean, I’m sorry you needed to undergo that, however … it appears like you’re doing what’s fine for you.”  

Tears pricked at my eyes, however I blinked them away. “I desire so. Right now, it simply feels… empty.”  

“That’s normal,” he stated gently. “But you’re more potent than you think, Anita. You constantly have been.”  

I smiled faintly, the warm temperature in his voice melting a number of the ice that had settled round my coronary heart . “Thanks, Ethan.”  

“Anytime.” He paused. “Listen, how approximately we take hold of espresso tomorrow? No pressure, simply vintage pals catching up.”  

I hesitated. Part of me desired to live hidden in this condo forever, however some other part—a braver part—knew I had to begin rebuilding my existence .  

“Okay,” I said eventually . “Tomorrow.”  

The following morning, I arrived at the café early, nerves twisting in my stomach. It changed into a small, relaxed vicinity tucked into the nook of a quiet street. The scent of freshly brewed espresso mingled with the faint sound of indie song gambling withinside the background.  

Ethan walked in a couple of minutes later, his tall body at once commanding interest . He noticed me and smiled, and for a second , it felt like we had been teens again, assembling at the diner after school.  

“Hey,” he said , sliding into the seat from me.  

“Hey.”  

He ordered an espresso , and we fell into clean communication , reminiscing about our homeland and the human beings we used to recognise . It felt good—natural.  

But because the communication shifted, so did the mood. “So,” Ethan stated , his tone turning serious. “You need to inform me what befell Alex?”  

I stared into my espresso cup, the steam swirling just like the typhoon inside me. “It wasn’t one thing,” I admitted. “It changed into 1000 little things. He stopped seeing me, Ethan. I changed into simply … there, a part of the furnishings in his best global .”  

Ethan nodded, his blue eyes complete understanding. “I’m sorry you went through that. You deserved better.”  

The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache. “I don’t even recognise who I am without him,” I confessed.  

“You’re Anita,” he stated firmly. “The woman who used to overcome me at each board recreation we ever played. The woman who should mildly up a room simply on foot in. That’s who you are.”  

I laughed softly, the sound overseas to my personal ears. “I don’t experience anything like her anymore.”  

“You will,” he stated , his voice complete with conviction. “You simply want time.”  

As we left the café, the bloodless January air biting at my skin, my telecel smartphone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out to look for some other message from Alex.  

Alex: “I’m coming to look at you, Anita. We want to speak . This isn’t over.”  

I stared on the screen, my coronary heart pounding. Ethan observed my expression and frowned. “What’s wrong?” he asked.  

I regarded him, panic creeping into my voice. “It’s Alex. He’s coming here.”